Foundation gives back to town

WETHERSFIELD -- Judy Keane said she wishes to spend Sept. 11 with close friends and family.

MEGAN CLAIR

Published
12:00 am EDT, Sunday, September 8, 2002

She will be attending a family picnic outing, sponsored by the Keane Foundation, with her own personal support network, on the Old Wethersfield Green today.

Keane said the foundation will be providing ice cream for children and she really wants the affair to be fun for the entire family. Following the picnic there will be a candlelight vigil to remember all of the victims of Sept. 11, but especially those bright lights that have been lost from their own community.

"It would be such a shame if nothing positive came out of this event, it's the only way to make something better," Keane said. "Dick was a real the glass was half full guy. He always wanted to be involved with the community and giving of himself and that is what we are continuing to do."

Keane lost her husband of 31 years, Richard, to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Richard was an employee of Marsh McLennan, and although he only made the trip to New York several times a year, he perished in the towers along with 291 other Marsh employees on the 99th and 100th floors.

Yet, Keane said several days after the attacks when friends and family were visiting, talk revolved around Dick and what he loved. Dick's avid interest in his children, church, work and sports were the inspiration for an organization that would benefit the Wethersfield community in a way in which Dick would have approved of.

And the Keane Foundation was born. The primary goal of the foundation is to raise funds through corporate and private donations to erect an athletics facility in town that could also support student tutoring, technology training and family resources.

"Dick was one of those people that would watch any sport," Keane said. "He thought the lessons of winning and losing gracefully on the field should be applied to everyday life, he got involved with coaching of all five of our boys both on and off the field and loved helping the kids out in any way he could."

The estimated cost of the athletics complex the Keane Foundation is planning to build is approximately $4 million. Keane said they have already raised $160,000 within the community.

"Everyone has been so generous with us in Wethersfield and the talented people I have had the privilege of working with over the last few months have just been amazing," said Keane. "It was a tragedy that brought us together but I have developed some very close relationships while working on the foundation."

Tina Lynch, Wethersfield resident and freelance graphic designer and advertiser, is one of Keane's biggest supporters. She did not know Judy Keane before Sept. 11 but has donated all of her time and services to the foundation.

Lynch has designed the Keane Foundation logo that appears on the Web site and all of the foundation's merchandise. She has become active within foundation fund-raising and secured a donation from Shiner Signs, of Meriden, of the 16 foot long banner bearing the Keane logo that appears at all of the events.

"Sept. 11 broke my heart, but to know the tragedy touched a family right around the corner from me got me motivated to help," Lynch said. "I love working within the community and if I can help to capture the essence of Dick while giving back to the community in what I create I know I did well."

Through the sale of the Keane Foundation's cook book that was recently published, "Flags of Wethersfield," and the many fund-raisers the organization has run from an art exhibit to a 5k run the foundation has already accomplished its first goal of bring Wethersfield residents together.

But Keane, along with Barbara Curran, her sister and fund-raising chairperson for the foundation, are actively pursuing state grants available to the foundation and seeking larger corporate sponsorship to reach their goals.

The Keane Foundation has several events planned for the coming months and Keane said the frantic pace of their fund-raising efforts has helped keep her days filled and her thoughts from drifting back to the horrific tragedy.

They will be hosting a golf tournament and outing at Wethersfield Country Club on Sept. 30. Keane also wishes to involve the children of Wethersfield, who the foundation seeks to benefit, in a calendar contest across the school system.

"We would love for them to draw a picture of anything that makes them feel good, open to students of all ages and we want the art teachers to be the judges for the pictures to go into the 2003 calendar," said Keane.

They also plan to hold the second annual "Carol for a Cause," a Christmas time event where Wethersfield residents may purchase carolers to come to their homes or have them sing for others.

"I like to work at the local level and so did Dick," said Keane. "I do not like to say we are honoring him, we are dedicating services in his memory because it was something he would have continued to do."

Megan Clair can be reached at mclair@newbritainherald.com or by calling (860) 225-4601, ext. 227.